form is void

So, we hiked up the the Darby Wind Cave today. It's right on the Wyoming Idaho border (Wydaho) in the Tetons. Holy crap, that hike totally wrecked me. It was about 5 miles at around 8000 feet, and we had to cross many streams on scary logs. A few of my friends fell in, but somehow I made it over each one. That mountain water is freezing.

We got up pretty close to the cave, which has huge cathedral entrance with a violent waterfall pouring out of it. The final part of the hike was steep and off the trail, because the whole area was covered in snow. I was about waste deep in snow for some of this. Not cool. We couldn't get into the cave because it was buried, although my friends made a good effort and did some pretty impressive rock climbing. I got totally dirty, wet, and exhausted, but it was beautiful, and I'm proud that I didn't roll of the mountain at some points. We're gonna try again in a few weeks, hoping that the snow will be melted.

Way to survive, Julia.

Wind Cave

Today me and some friends are going down into this wind cave. Supposedly it's very awesome and beautiful but also scary. I've never been great with enclosed spaces, so hopefully I can wriggle my way through. I'll let you know later if I survive, in one way or another. Ah, shallow sanity.

Shooting Random Stuff

So we went out to the hills to do some more shooting over the weekend. The place we ended up parking had all kinds of great stuff to shoot, including some old bowling balls, a band saw, car batteries and a decomposing pig carcass (ok we didn't shoot that). We brought a broken humidifier and decimated it. We also brought some old orange juice jugs and filled them with dry ice, then shot them. That way, you get a double delayed-reaction explosion. I love hanging with engineers.

Shooting the 22 is great. There is virtually no kickback and it's very accurate. However, I am terrible with the shotgun. I couldn't hit a single clay pigeon, and I have a big bruise in my armpit.

Sorry, camera still broken, but here's me with the M16 at Fort Hood:

No News is Good News

This week has been basically uneventful. I went to trivia night last night and won two of the rounds. The prizes I won were a free appetizer and a cheesy rap CD by Baby Bash called "Cyclone." I blasted the CD on the way home, and it sucks royally. In the liner notes, the guy says "I never wanted to be the best rapper, but my vision is to be consistent and write hits in this crazy business." Why so modest Baby Bash? And trust me, your album is not consistent, and there are few if any hits. There aren't even swears on any of the tracks. If there's no Parental Advisory, it's not worth it.

Pioneers

We made it out to Jackson yesterday. It's about 90 minutes away, east into Wyoming and over the Teton pass. The weather turned perfect, and the scenery is absolutely spectacular. The town itself is very touristy and almost 100% fake-western. It's built up around a ski resort and is full of expensive leather & cowboy gear purveyors, as well as bistros. However, we sat outside at a normal-seeming coffee shop, which is literally impossible to do in this part of Idaho.

A friend and I stocked up on lots of liquor out there; the town has a much better selection than you can find in IF. Although I have to say, it's weird, but Idaho doesn't seem to tax wine. It's very cheap, and you can get a really nice bottle for under $10.

I'm looking forward to doing more shooting today. We got a bunch of CRTs and old tvs to shoot at. Better watch out for the ricochet!

WTF

So, this is the scene I woke up to this morning. Ok, it's not that dramatic, but that is definitely a layer of snow coating my car. It's June; that's just not right.

It's freezing cold here, and the wind is constantly gusting. I'm going to a couple bbqs in the next few days, but it sure doesn't feel like cookout weather. My only consolation right now is $3 Walmart wine. Plus, I do get to wear my favorite cold weather clothes for another month.

My work here is fairly interesting, except I sit in a gray cubicle basically encircled by douchery. Think I'll drive out to Jackson Hole on Saturday. It's supposed to be beautiful, and has got to be more exciting than this town.

Eons Ago

So last Saturday was the big Mountain Beer Fest. Even though it was very windy and the beer all started to taste the same after awhile, we had a lot of fun. It was excellent people watching, with all kinds of freaks coming out of the woodwork. Most of the beer was from Utah, Wyoming and Montana, and there were at least 100 different breweries.

Something about living in a small town is starting to appeal to me. There is never any traffic coming home, which is a nice break from Austin. Not much seemed to have changed here in a long time, and if you go out on Sundays (when almost nothing is open) you can instantly tell who believes in golden plates and magic glasses.

Unfortunately, the charger to my camera battery is malfunctioning, so I won't have any pictures for a bit. It's ok though, because you can ogle Prague and Vienna (I took these in March), which are basically the same as Idaho Falls.

First Week!

Hi there.
I just finished my first week of work for INL and the massive bureaucracy that is the DOE. Seriously, it took me four days to get a garbage can in my cube, and that's without any trash bag to speak of. Also, it's impossible to do any work, because I don't have a locking drawer, and my source documents necessitate locking up. Picture sad me with no source documents.
My cube is barren. Just a desk and computer. I could totally move my bed in there and stay always.

Here is a window into my night: pretty soon I'll leave and attend the Idaho American Nuclear Society party at the Senior Center. I'm not sure where it is, but I guess I'll just follow the trail of walkers. This party is supposed to be a big deal. I think there's a band. Let's keep our fingers crossed that I don't get too drunk and embarrass myself. After the party I'll come home and send mildly offensive texts to people I barely know to keep me company. All the while, it's 45 degrees here!

First Day!

I had my first day of work today. The majority of it was spent in training, learning the ins and outs of sexual harassment and espionage. Espionage has always had sexy connotations to me.
I also got very lost in a maze of cubes; the building muse be completely modular. My cube is large but empty except for a desk and computer. I could move my bed in there and never leave.

I know it's early to think about, but this weekend is the Mountain Brewers' Beer Fest, and I am unduly excited. http://www.northamericanbrewers.org/BeerFest2008.htm

Below is a friendly beetle I found in the hills. They are everywhere, and slowly eat leaves.